Members Present: Julie Maloukis, Chair R.L. Glock, Vice Chair Mary Ward, Secretary Shelly Brisbin, Fixed Route Subcommittee Chair Juan Muñoz, STS Committee Member Judy Watford, STS Subcommittee Member William Brown, STS Subcommittee Member Scott Meyer, Fixed Route Subcommittee Member Jose Loera, Fixed Route Subcommittee Member Cathie Shumaker, Proxy for Jerry Doran, STS Subcommittee Member
Absent: Jerry Doran (Cathie Shumaker proxy)
Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, Access Liaison Rafael Villarreal, Acting Director, STS Denise Guerrero, Training Department Betty Cravens, STS Road Supervisor King Kaul, Rail Department Andrew Murphy, Maintenance Department
Guests Present: Wayne Spahn, Carlos Aleman, Diane Bomar, Christine Guevra (DACT), Sam Howard, Jane Lansaw, Robert Frank
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair Maloukis at 5:00 p.m. with a quorum.
Approval of Minutes: It was moved by Scott Meyer and seconded by Judy Watford that the minutes from April 4, 2007 be approved. The motion passed.
Citizen Communication: Speakers were Robert Frank, Diane Bomar, Carlos Aleman, Sam Howard and Wayne Spahn. One speaker reported that some taxi drivers have not gotten back vouchers turned in last June. Comments were also made concerning the enunciators on fixed route buses and concerns expressed that they either were not working or were simply being turned off by the drivers. Chair Maloukis said she would take these issues to the board.
Ms. Judy Watford asked why the ad hoc committees had been abolished. This was done as a temporary measure because no one was able to dedicate the time to the committees at this time. Ms. Watford asked if anyone had seen the ticket vending machines (TVM) being proposed. Ms Maloukis reported having been asked to help evaluate them over a two-day period as a technical advisor and all aspects of voice guided information provided from the Access members, was evaluated. The TVM contract award will be announced at the May Board of Director’s meeting. Access will continue to have a role in the development of the machines.
Anouncements: No announcements were made.
Chair Report Ms. Maloukis reported on a series of proposed changes to the Access Advisory Committee By-Laws regarding proxies.
- Shelly Brisbin moved and Ms. Shumaker seconded a motion that would abolish the system of appointing proxies when members cannot come to the meetings. The motion did not pass, with 2 votes for and 8 against.
- Shelly Brisbin moved and Ms. Shumaker seconded a motion that would amend by-laws to restrict Access Committee members from appointing another Access Committee member as a proxy. This motion did not pass, with 4 votes for and 5 against, 1 abstention.
- Ms. Brisbin next made a motion, seconded by Mary Ward, that Access Advisory Committee proxies not be allowed to vote. This motion did not pass, with 0 votes for, 10 against.
- Ms. Brisbin made a motion, seconded by Judy Watford that would not allow proxies to vote in officer elections or on changes to the by-laws. This motion carried, with 8 for, 1 against and 1 abstention.
Some discussion ensued regarding whether or not having a proxy at the meeting constituted an absence. Most members agreed that sending a proxy did not automatically excuse a member from going to the meeting. Members are required to notify the Chair and the staff liaison.
Board Meeting Chair Maloukis reported that she had attended a board meeting April 30. At that meeting, there was a presentation on the bus roadeo events and winners, discussion of the new Transit Center on South Congress, and the Board went into executive session. Chair Maloukis gave an Access report expressing concerns brought by citizens about CARTS service in Leander, the continuation of the STS taxi voucher program and other issues. She also reported to them the committee’s resolution to support the Bus Roadeo winners.
Paratransit Van Procurement: Andrew Murphy gave a presentation on the Paratransit van procurement. He explained how the procurement had become bogged down in a court battle between Ford and International. The plan is to go out for another procurement and perhaps to accept vehicles of different sizes. Mr. Murphy is hoping to get delivery of the vehicles by December, a two-month delay. The procurement specifications will allow for more flexibility in the type and size of the vehicles. Mr. Murphy was not sure whether they would be able to bring one of the vehicles before selection. Mr. Murphy was thanked for his presentation and for keeping the committee updated.
MetroRail Update: A very thorough and detailed presentation was given by King Kaul on the progress of the construction of the rail system. Mr. Kaul is pleased with the progress of the construction, which is on time and within budget. There were questions from the committee about the trains that will be used. The prototypes should arrive in early 2008 and will be coming in two pieces. The tracks to test them on will not have been completed yet. The committee thanked Mr. Kaul for his hard work on the project and his informative report.
Paratransit Update: Ralph Villarreal gave figures for overall increase in ridership as compared with the same month last year. There was an overall increase in ridership of 14.52 percent. Overall increase in cancellations was 19%. This may be related to the increase in ridership, so the numbers may be skewed. On-time performance increased by 1%, no significant change.
Sensitivity and other training recommended by the ACCESS committee will be starting soon. This will involve four days of training for all Capital Metro STS staff, two days in one week and two in another. The training will be comprehensive and will cover a variety of topics, including customer service, riding in the vans etc. Mr. Villarreal thanked Nancy Crowther, John Ancira, Lenora Givens, Gracie Diaz and the training team. Ms. Watford requested to see the syllabus. Ms. Crowther stated it would be available when the classes become finalized.
Committee Reports: Fixed Route. Report was given by Subcommittee Chair Brisbin. The fare cards were discussed at the subcommittee meeting. An extensive presentation of service changes was also given at that meeting, much of which involved the airport. In August, the Dillo service will be extended to Manor Road. A day of service is being added to Route 161. Route 201 Akins High School is being added. Citizens at that meeting discussed concerns over the enunciators, which they say are not being used on all fixed route buses. Denise Guerrero told the Committee that if the enunciator is out of synch, the driver is supposed to make the announcements verbally.
Mr. Scott Meyer reported that there are still problems with buses passing other buses downtown rather than waiting to pull up to the stop. He reported that it is often very stressful for people with disabilities to get on buses at transfer centers because of this. Most people with visual impairments might prefer to remain at the stop instead of trying to find the bus by going back. Ms. Brisbin said that in her observation, the first two often stop at the corner, but if there are more than two buses, the other buses often do not pull up to the stop. Denise Guerrero said they should use common sense. Mr. Glock said that he had heard that drivers were told not to adjust the enunciator because when the door opens, it is supposed to readjust itself. The enunciators will be discussed further at the next meeting.
STS Subcommittee Report: STS subcommittee report was given by Mary Ward. That meeting dealt primarily with issues surrounding the taxi voucher program. Despite serious problems with the program, most citizens seem to want the program to continue. Ralph reported that 12 new drivers will be hired in May, some to replace vacant positions and others for new positions. Nancy Crowther reported that a new competitor may be arriving in the taxicab arena. Ralph also discussed the possibility of having some taxi drivers assigned run sheets like the STS sedan drivers. Mr. Villarreal acknowledges that the system is not able to keep apace with the growth in ridership, and efforts are being made to alleviate the current situation in which at certain times of the day, there may not be enough vehicles to meet demand.
Capital Metro Paratransit has begun to enforce the existing policy requiring that riders show a monthly pass or provide a ticket when getting into the vehicle. Mr. Villarreal said that currently, if a passenger tries to get into the vehicle without a ticket or pass, the driver is asked to call Dispatch immediately so that a decision can be made as to whether to carry the passenger or not. Mr. Villarreal assured the committee that those needing to go to dialysis or other life-sustaining medical treatment would not be left without a ride, and no one would be stranded without a return home. However, decisions would be made on an individual basis.
Subcommittee meetings will be held on May 23, the fourth Wednesday of the month. The guests present were encouraged to attend these meetings, which are somewhat less formal in structure than the full committee meeting, thereby providing a good opportunity for dialog between the committee and the public at large.
New Business Scott Meyer announced the Career Expo on May 9, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Palmer Auditorium. This is being sponsored by Good Will.
Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
The Next Access Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for June 6, 2007. Note: The meetings in the summer will be from 5::-6:30pm.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
2910 East 5th Street | Austin, Texas 78702 | (512) 389-7400
Specific Route Information | (512) 474-1200 | (800) 474-1201